Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Shaai didn't feel like she had a choice.

Just as Eren had said, she knew exactly what he had done to her.

The mana-core-based restrictions she had intended to implement on Jolly had been successfully planted on herself.

Eren could destroy her mana core with a mere thought whenever he wanted to. Her status as an S-Ranked entity wouldn't help her in such a situation; if anything, it would only make her death more miserable.

It didn't seem like Jolly was in the mood to share anything about himself. Even when asked by Shaai, he pretended not to hear her question, responding vaguely. However, these vague answers were a form of response themselves.

Shaai became even more convinced that Jolly was possessed by something or someone. After all, even if he had managed to crack the Yantra and reverse the process on her, he wouldn't have been able to plant those mana-core-based restrictions on her if his soul wasn't strong enough.

The gap between the Spiritual Force held by an A-Ranked entity and an S-Ranked entity was substantial. Even if it were an A-Ranked Grand Astral in front of her, known for their higher Spiritual Force due to the Dreamweaver Path they followed, they wouldn't have been able to implement those mana-core-based restrictions on Shaai, even if they followed Eren's steps without a miss.

'Damn it. I didn't imagine things would unfold this way,' Shaai cursed herself. 'I shouldn't have suggested to the witch council to restrict this guy. Who knew he was such a vile hidden expert?'

Thinking this, Shaai got up from the bed. She freshened herself and wore some decent clothes. Doing this gave her some confidence back, even though her mana core still made her feel like there was a time bomb ticking within her.

Shaai tied up her silky hair in a knot as she approached Eren.

She stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes for quite some time. The latter didn't say anything but allowed her to stare. Meanwhile, he picked up his drink and enjoyed the first sip.

In the end, Shaai couldn't bear the sound of silence permeating the room.

"Who are you?" She made another attempt to get to know Jolly, expecting it to fail again.

"Ummm," Jolly smacked his lips in pure pleasure as he looked at Shaai and gave her an appreciative look.

"Who knew the wine that costs almost 50,000 Menaka's Runes would be so worth the hype? You got some rich taste, woman," Eren said as he took another sip, smiling at her.

"You see, I'm always kinda broke due to my excessive expenditure and resource-consuming experiments. So I don't usually get to enjoy life's luxuries as you."

'Even though I have just spent a week celebrating the Festival of Intoxication, the mortal liquor just doesn't have the same punch as this one does. So this is some really good closure to the festival.'

The butcher thought to himself in private while placing the half-finished drink back on the table. He then looked at Shaai seriously before responding.

"Look, if I wanted to tell you about myself, I wouldn't have dodged your questions in the first place. Let's just say that I'm a very patient and pragmatic man who looks after his people," Eren said in a very calm voice, encouraging her with his eyes to reach for her drink.

"Are you saying I'm one of your people now just because you managed to spring the trap that I set for you?" Shaai asked as she lifted her glass. She looked into Eren's eyes as if wanting to see through his soul.

"Ask that question to yourself. If the answer to that is a strict no, I'll immediately blow your mana core and we can finally move on from this topic," Eren replied patiently without any hate seeping into his voice. It was as if he was okay with himself getting caught in the collateral damage if he were to blow her mana core.

"Noooo…. I– I mean… I mean, yes. I– I am one of your people," Shaai replied hurriedly before chugging down the contents of the glass in a hurry. As proud as she was, she didn't want to die after becoming an S-Ranked entity.

"Good girl," a very radiating and positive smile bloomed on Eren's face as he saw her drinking her own wine as if it was some form of punishment. He didn't want to bully Shaai into submission. But sometimes, one needs to take a hard approach to avoid potential troubles.

"So we are on the same side now, alright?" Eren lifted his glass and clinked it with hers. He then took his sip before speaking up.

"With that settled, answer some of my questions. I know it might be hypocritical of me to expect answers from you when I'm trying to be as elusive as I can be regarding the questions you have about me. But please bear with me.

I might tell you who I am who controls your life from now on if you are just patient with me,' Eren wasn't being completely honest with her. But he didn't care and just said whatever someone in Shaai's shoes wanted to hear.

"Al– alright," Shaai said as she gulped down the contents of the glass.

The rich and intoxicating flavor of the premium-grade wines soothed her nerves and calmed her heart. She subconsciously started to trust Eren as he chatted with her. As if the man had a distinct charm around him.

She also sensed a bit of danger that she had felt beforehand. However, the same feeling of danger managed to assure her in some weird form.

"Why did you decide to restrict Jolly by using these methods on him? What was his mistake?"

Eren asked as he looked into Shaai's eyes. With the mana-core-

based restrictions he had imposed on her with the help of her setup, Eren could quickly tell if she was lying or not.

He knew that she was also aware of this. So he wasn't worried about getting false information. If he really suspected her information, he could always devour her memories using means available at his disposal.

"It– It's Demon Prince Asmodeous, the deity that I worship," Shaai said as she looked at Eren. "He reached out to his followers in the higher ranks, telling us to either restrict or kill any new members who had joined the coven recently," she confessed.

"Asmodeus, huh." Eren's gaze turned cold as he looked in Shaai's direction. She could feel immense killing intent in those eyes but she could also tell that it was not meant for her.

"Tell me everything from the start. Leave no stone unturned," Eren said and paid close attention to Shaai's next words.